Prince Abdul Aziz, the third son of Saudi King Abdullah and the Kingdom's deputy foreign minister sued the city of Los Angeles to hasten the construction of his mansion. The project is highly opposed by his neighbors-to-be on grounds of environmental concerns.

On the evening on May 30, 2013, a car drove up to a curb, dumped a naked body of a 25-year old girl and sped away in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Witnesses immediately wrapped the girl in a blanket and contacted the police.

In a country where murderers are charged with capital punishment, thieves have their hands cut off and adulterers are lashed and stoned to death, there weren't any arrest or confirmed charges filed and none were expected to be.

The Royal Defector

Prince Khalid Bin Farhan al-Saud is perhaps the only Saudi royal to have announcedhis defection from the royal family.

But before you get the wrong impression, all is not been bad in the world of Saudi Royals.

In a statement made public by a Tehran-based news channel, Khalid Bin Farhan al-Saud referred to his “suffering” under rule of the Saudi royal family and urged other princes to break their silence as well.

In his first exclusive interview after his defection with Russia Today, Khalid Bin Farhan al-Saud told how the Saudi monarchy has increased crackdown on its own dissenters while it’s trying to support the ones in Syria.

Saudi Prince Fahd bin Sultan bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud and his entourage made the news for shooting down around 2,100 endangered Houbara bustards while hunting in Pakistan.

The royal hunting party's license was valid for 10 days and the prince was allowed to hunt no more than 100 birds in only a specified area. However, their was no stopping the highly influential team of hunters who kept up the hunt for three weeks killing thousands of birds.

Saudi Prince Khaled bin Salman, son of the heir to the Saudi Arabian throne Prince Salman bin Abdul-Aziz, was among the fighter pilots conducting airstrikes against Islamic State in Syria in the U.S.-led coalition.

Prince Sultan Salman Abdulaziz Al-Saud of Saudi Arabia – the first Arab astronaut to go into space was in the news recently for visiting the Udvar-Hazy Center to see Discovery, the shuttle he flew on in 1985 as a payload specialist.

The Progressive Prince

On a similar positive note, Saudi Arabia’s Prince Alwaleed bin Talal one of most influential Arabs is also a progressive and forward thinking Saudi royal- a rarity indeed.

He not only believes in empowering the Saudi women but is also a harsh critic of all things fundamental extremist in nature.

His ex-wife Princess Ameerah Al Taweel, was prime example of his mindset and stood out as a social and cultural anomaly to the preconceived prototype of Saudi women.

Her humanitarian and philanthropic efforts spread wide globally; especially, her efforts towards the empowerment of women in the kingdom. She dressed quite unlike the rest of the women of her country and even spoke out publicly in several International channels and publications including the 2011 Clinton Global Initiative.

And on an extremely inspirational note, Saudi Princess Reema Bint Bandar Bin Sultan Al Saud, head of Zahra Breast Cancer Association, led 10 Saudi women attempting to hike up to the Mount Everest base camp to raise awareness of breast cancer among Saudi women. The team successfully raised the Saudi flag at the mountain's Base Camp in May 2012.